The Day the Earth Stood Still
by funluvr151
Summary: Emily and Paige break up after Emily catches Paige "cheating". With tensions running high and too many things left unsaid they believe nothing could make matters worse. That is until a masked gunman enters Rosewood High.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

Emily barged into Paige's room startling the taller girl in the process. Paige, who had been about to change out of her dress when Emily abruptly opened the door, nearly fell off of her bed because she had been so scared.

"Em. What are you doing here?" Asked Paige curiously still recovered from the almost heart attack that her girlfriend had caused her.

Emily didn't address Paige's question. Instead she stared at Paige fuming with anger. She had been home studying for her AP history exam when Hannah had showed up at her house; her shirt soaked with tequila. The smell had been so strong Emily found herself clamping her hand over her nose and mouth. Before she could begin to ask Hannah what had happened Hannah told her that she had followed Paige to find out what she and Caleb were up to but instead of finding them in a abandoned building or cabin in the middle of nowhere Paige had led her to a gay bar.

Hannah explained that Paige had been all dressed up and was sitting at a table with some girl and the smiles, random touches of each others arm, and the other girls flirting were anything but subtle. To Hannah it had looked like they were together. At first Emily had been furious that Hannah would make something like this up. She had accused Hannah of not being over her dislike of Paige. She was furious but then Hannah showed her the picture that she had taken of the two girls on her phone and there is was, solid proof. Emily couldn't deny what was right in from of her face. The first thought that popped into her head was that Paige indeed was cheating on her.

So now she was standing in Paige's room starring at her in her beautiful blue dress. At any other moment she would be thinking about how gorgeous Paige looked right now. The blue dress complimented Paige's complexion perfectly and hugged her curves at all of the right places yet her anger masked all of this and all she saw was a cheater. The person whom she had trusted and loved had betrayed her. In her mind she was certain of this.

"Em!" Paige called louder breaking Emily out of her deep thought. "Is something wrong?"

Paige was becoming worried about her girlfriend. Emily definitely was not herself. Her expression was on that Paige has never seen before. She looked so angry but behind that there was something more; sadness...betrayal.

Her first instinct was to try and console her in some way. Paige stood up and walked over to her but when she tried to reach out to Emily she stood back and wouldn't let Paige touch her. Paige could only stand there with a hurt expression.

"How could you." Questioned Emily loudly.

"How could I what?" Asked Paige confused.

Emily rolled her eyes.

"Don't lie to me Paige! Don't you dare!"

At this point Emily was yelling and Paige knew that her parents would probably hear the noise and come to her room soon. Paige walked around Emily and shut the door turning when she was done so that her back was against it.

"I swear to you that I have no idea what you are talking about. Why won't you believe me?"

"Hanna told me that he saw you at a gay bar with some skimpy tramp and that you two were all over each other."

Paige, shocked by Emily's words, stood there with her mouth hung open a little.

" you think I am cheating on you?" Asked Paige dumbfounded.

"No I don't think; I know. Hannah showed me the picture."

"Why was hannah following me first of all? Are we really gonna have to deal with this again? Can't I go anywhere without you friends on my case?"

At this point Emily was beyond pissed. Why was Paige trying to deny this hen she had proof. Did she really think that she was going to get away with what she did.

" don't even use that excuse. You know that Hannah, Spencer, and Aria are my best friends. They aren't out to get you Paige. I thought I could trust you you. I thought that this is what we both wanted. To be together" yelled Emily angrily. She wasn't going to hold back anything.

" I do want us to be together. Emily that girl and I...there is nothing going on there."

Paige was pleading with everything she had. She loved Emily beyond words being as to explain. She had wanted Emily for as long as she could remember. Having her in her arms, sharing small kisses here and there, being able to boast to everyone that Emily Fields was her girlfriend. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world. She never thought that Emily would ever love her back but her dream had come true. But now it felt like it was being shattered into a million pieces.

"How long?" Asked Emily. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. She wanted more than anything to believe Paige. She wished that Hannah had never shown her that picture and that this was all a bad dream but she was so blinded by answer that everything coming out of Paige's mouth sounded like a lie to her.

"Emily the only reason that I was with that girl was because she works in some Halloween store and I was trying to find answers to who bought the costume from the crazy train ride on Halloween. I'm trying to help you and your friends. I'm tired of having to see you get hurt and not be able to do anything about it."

"I never asked you to do that. You shouldn't even have gotten involved."

Paige didn't know what else to say that would make Emily believe her. Never in a million years would she ever cheat on her. Especially not after she had gone through hell to get to where they were now. She truly believed that Emily was her soul mate. She was the only girl that Paige had eyes for. She adored her and wanted to grow old with her. She knew that what she wanted was far fetched considering they had dated on and off for a year at one point and were now going strong for eight months but this was what her heart told her. It was how she felt.

"It doesn't matter what I say. I'm still guilty to you." Argued Paige defeated.

Suddenly the room filled with silence. Emily was deep in thought and Paige was trying hard to figure out what was going through her head but she couldn't. Paige had never seen this side of Emily. The caring sweet girl that she loved dearly, this wasn't her. She knew that Emily was mad and the only thing that she could think of was to let Emily have a little space so that she could think a little and realize that Paige was indeed telling her the truth.

"Look maybe we should talk about this tomorrow we aren't going to accomplish anything when you are this angry. How about you go home and rest and we can talk about this ?" Suggested Paige.

Emily starred out the window looking out the window. Maybe this wasn't true. Maybe Paige was telling the truth. Deep down she knew Paige would never hurt her. They had gone through hell and back to find each other and there was no way she would just throw their relationship away like that. Tears began to well up in her eyes and as her mind shifted to A. As long as she and Paige were together Paige was a possible target. A would go after Paige just to get to her and she couldn't deal with that. She wouldn't let that happen to her. Not like what had happened to Maya.

As she realized what she was about to do a tear ran down her cheek. She looked at Paige and tried to take everything about her in. She had to do this. She had to be strong. This was the only way that Emily would be able to make sure that Paige was safe.

When Paige saw that Emily was beginning to cry she reached out to hug her. Unlike last Emily didn't push her away. She let Paige pull her body to her and wrap her arms around her. She let her hold her tight and comfort her but she knew it wouldn't last long. The longer she let herself be comforted by Paige the harder that it would be to let go. Reluctantly, against everything that her heart was telling her she pulled back and worked up just enough courage and energy to say two words.

"We're done."

Paige felt her heart break as soon as the words left Emily's mouth. "This couldn't be happening" she thought. It seemed as though her world was crumbling around her and she was about to break down.

"Emily...please don't do this." pleaded Paige as tears ran down her face, "I love you. Can't you see that. I love you with all of my heart and I would never cheat on you. I swear. Why won't you believe me?"

It took everything that Emily had not to pull Paige into her arms and hold her; to tell her that sh couldn't do this and that she did believe her. She repeated over and over that this for the good of both of them even though her heart was breaking. Her chest was literally hurting as she thought about what she was doing. She wouldn't be able to go back on her decision. She would have to let Paige go forever. There would be no more waking up to her good morning texts, no more movie dates, no more play fighting, no more training together, no more love. But she had to stay strong. In order to save Paige she couldn't be selfish.

"I'm sorry but we are over. I have to go."

Emily opened the door but was pulled back into Paige who crashed her lips against Emily. She didn't know what else to do and she couldn't just watch Emily leave without trying anything at all. If Emily walked out that door she knew that she wouldn't be back. Paige didn't want to lose Emily, she couldn't. Not after everything that they had been through. This couldn't be the end.

Emily wasn't fighting the kiss. It seemed as though she put every bit of emotion she had into this last kiss. She knew that this was wrong. She shouldn't be kissing Paige like this when it wasn't going to change her decision. She was leading Paige on but her heart was breaking and for a second, while she was kissing Paige, she felt complete again. She wanted this kiss to go on forever but she pulled away. Tears were running down both girls faces.

"I'm sorry." said Emily before rushing out of the room.


	2. Chapter 1: Amber

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I am sorry this chapter took so long. I am in college so I have been a little distracted but I promise to try and update sooner next time :)

Disclaimer: I do not own PLL. Right go to their respectful owners. I am merely writing for fun.

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**Chapter 1: Amber**

"I finally understood what true love meant...love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be."― Nicholas Sparks

"Next stop...Rosewood." Called a voice through the trains loudspeaker.

Emily looked up from her book and looked out the window. Familiar trees and houses zoomed past the train. It was a beautiful September morning. Birds flew over the train chirping and knocking into one another. Emily never understood why birds did that. From a distance the seemed so out of sync so ungraceful. Yet soon they were back to flying in their v-formation. She was she they would be heading south soon. Sometimes Emily wished she could be a bird, able to just fly away from everything, but she knew that wasn't an option.

"One more year." She thought to herself.

She would be back in Rosewood in twenty minutes tops. Back to the real world that she had been trying to escape for the past two months. But there was one thing that she didn't have to worry about for her senior year. A. For some reason A hasn't been harassing her or the other girls in months. 4 months, 1 week, and 2 days to be exact. The same amount of time that it had been since she had broken up with Paige.

Emily found herself cringing at the memory. It still hurt. Every time she thought about that day she felt a pain in her chest. Ever since that day there had been a whole in Emily's heart. She felt broken and beat down. In the beginning even small tasks were hard to accomplish without breaking down because everything seemed to remind her of Paige. Whenever she had seen Paige in school she thought she half expected herself to give in to her heart and run towards Paige with her arms wide open to take her girl into a tight embrace and swear that he would never let her go again. Emily knew that would never happen. Paige hated her now. She was certain of that.

Suddenly another announcement echoed through her car bringing her out of her deep thought.

"Attention all passengers we are now pulling into rosewood. If this is your stop please gather your belongings. Please double check to make sure you have not left anything behind. Thank you for riding with us; have a great day."

With that Emily closed her book that she had honestly not been paying any attention to in the first place. She could barely pay attention to anything anymore without her mind drifting to thoughts of Paige. That was why she had hastily decided to quit her job and attend the summer camp. Yet, no matter what she did she just couldn't get Paige off of her mind.

Emily placed her book into her duffel bag and made her way into the aisle as the train began to slow down as it pulled into the station. She grabbed her suitcases from the overhead compartment. The way that Emily had packed if someone didn't know her they would have though she would be gone for a year instead of only the two months that she had actually been gone. Two months of nothing but swimming and tape reviews. She had never been more on top of her game and more self excluding from home.

Emily had called her mom once a week and sent a text here and there to her friends. She told then it was because of her schedule she was swamped with pool drills and when the day came to an end she was too tired to do much of anything. That had been somewhat true. She had been tired, exhausted even. Yet, she never slept much. The dreams of Paige always came to her. The dreams about holding her close again; kissing her.

Emily pulled her sunglasses out of her bag and placed them on her face before throwing her duffel bag over her shoulder, grabbing her suitcases, and exited the train.

The September sun warmed her skin as she stepped out of the air conditioned train.

"Home sweet home" sighed Emily tightening her grip on her suitcases and moving along.

Emily scanned the crowd for her friends. She didn't know how but they had manages to persuade her mom into letting them pick her up from the station. She had been amazing and only hoped that Hannah wasn't driving because the blonde always had a tendency to be late to everything and she really didn't feel like waiting around after such a grueling trip.

As she scanned the crowd of strangers her attention was suddenly grabbed by three familiar girls holding up a 'welcome home Emily' banner.

"Emily over here" squealed Hannah in excitement as she jumped up and down in a way that suggested that she had thought that Emily couldn't see her even though there was a clear path between the two.

Emily smiled ad walked over to her best friends whom she had missed so dearly and dropped her bags before being attacked by the three. As she received bone crushing hugs from each she couldn't help but smile. She really was happy to see them after what had seemed like forever.

"Em you're so dark. Looks like swim camp did you some good in the tanning department." Complimented Aria.

"It better have considering I was outside for like eight hours a day." Stated Emily as she held out her tan arms and examined them.

"I think that a sleepover is a must. Considering you have been M.I.A for the past two months. Which by the way I am holding against you for as long as I live since you left me here with Spencer whose conversations consisted only of her excitement towards AP calculus."

Hannah's expression made Emily chuckle. If she had given anyone else that look they would have probably thought that her mother had left her beside the highway and never came back for her. Spencer merely glared at the blonde. When Hannah noticed this she just stuck her tongue out at her. Spencer and Hannah were complete opposites but somehow Aria and Emily managed to keep them from killing each other.

"Yeah we could do it tomorrow night." Suggested Aria trying to stop the stare down between Hannah and Spencer.

"Sure. Right after our lovely first day of school." Agreed Emily.

Suddenly Emily's phone began to vibrate. She took her iPhone out of her pocket and saw "MOM" flashing on the screen.

"Let's get you home before your Mom kills us." Said Hannah grabbing one of Emily's bags and heading towards Spencer's Mercedes Benz.

Emily, Spencer, and Aria followed close behind after Emily quickly answered her phone to tell her mother that she was on her way home at the moment; making an excuse that the train had been delayed at the previous stop. After being satisfied with her explanation her mother told her that she couldn't wait to see her and hung up.

"Don't you put the bag on my car. I just got it detailed." Shouted SPencer.

Hannah rolled her eyes and waited for her to open the trunk before she put the bags inside and they all got in the car. Aria looked at the time on the car clock.

"Can we stop at the Brew? I would kill for a latte right now?"begged Aria.

"Quickly. I really don't want to make my mom mad on the first day back." Said Emily.

Five minutes later The girls were standing in line at the Brew waiting to order some coffees to go. They chatted back and forth about their summer and didn't notice that the couple in front of them had finished their unnecessarily long order until they heard a familiar voice.

"Emily?" Said a small voice.

Emily turned to see Paige behind the counter. She was taken aback. She hadn't expected to see her so soon after getting home and couldn't help but think that she had just been set up by her friends who probably knew very well that Paige was working here now because the Brew was a place that they went to very often. A detail like this wasn't something that would slip their mind and to add she knew that they were probably still disappointed in Emily for dumping Paige the way that she did. To be honest Emily was still disappointed in herself.

"Paige" said Emily trying to make eye contact with the taller girl.

Emily had to admit that Paige was looking as beautiful as ever. Her eyes glistened with what seemed like hope. She guessed it was hope that they would get back together buy she quickly ruled that out because she knew that Paige was upset with her. How could she not be? Emily's stomach was in knots. She was still in love with her. Hell, she still had her as her screensaver.

"How have you been?" Asked Paige cautiously, "How was camp?"

"It was good. Um...how was your summer?" Replied Emily.

She was so nervous. Her eyes kept falling to Paige's lips and she began to think how it would feel to kiss her again. She knew that she needed to get out of there.

"It was good. I've mostly been working and swimming of course. Gotta stay in shape if I have any chance of keeping up with you." stated Paige with a small smile. A smile that Emily remembered all too well because many times she had gone weak in the knees from that very smile and once more she felt as though she was going to melt right before Paige.

Paige felt her mouth go dry at the sight of Emily. She looked absolutely stunning and that made her heart ache that much more that no longer how much she wanted it to be true, Emily wasn't hers anymore. Paige felt a slight bit of envy towards Emily because she knew that there was more to the reason of why Emily broke up with her then she was letting on. She knew it from the look that had been in Emily's eyes when she had told her that they were done. She had played that day over and over in her mind and the look was still there. Small and subtle; but evident. She hadn't wanted to end things the way that they had. Paige knew that.

"So we will take the usual." interrupted Aria for a second which gained her a elbowing from Hannah.

Emily caught on to Hannah's reaction and quickly caught on to what was going on. Her friends had known that Paige was working at Brew. How could they not? The Brew was their favorite spot in all of Rosewood. It was where they met when they needed to confide in each other or when they just needed to get away. Emily felt a small amount of anger develop towards the girls and was about to say something when the sound of the wind chimes filled the Brew as a Brunette entered the store. Emily had never seen this girl before. She had brown curly hair that fell perfectly against her shoulders. She wore skinny jeans, black converses, and a white tank with a light brown cardigan over that complimented her complexion. The girl starred at Emily for a moment before smiling warmly and walking around the counter.

She grabbed an apron from under the counter and tied it around her waist before walking over to Paige and giving her a kiss on the cheek. Emily felt the heat rising within her. _She couldn't be jealous when it was her decision to break up in the first place._ She had to contain herself from all but jumping over the counter and attacking the girl._ How could she? I thought she loved me. _Yet she knew that she had no right to do such a thing.

"Hey babe." said the still unknown girl before turning to the girls, "Hey girls. Here for the usual?"

_"babe?" Emily thought._ This couldn't be happening.

"Yeah" they said in unison.

Emily looked at her friends with a shocked expression. They had known about Paige being with another girl and they hadn't told her. She felt betrayed to say the least. These were supposed to be her best friends. How could they have not told her that her girlfriend, ex-girlfriend, was dating some skimpy new girl in Rosewood. Didn't they think that she would like to know this after they knew how much Emily loved and cared about Paige.

"Hey Amber." replied Paige, "Would you mind getting me some more cups from the back?"

Spencer, Aria, and Hannah all looked at each other with a knowing look. They knew that they had to get out of the Brew before Emily did something she was going to regret. They hadn't known that Amber was going to be at the Brew that day. They had only wanted to help and had thought that if Emily saw Paige that she might realize what a mistake she had made and got back with Paige. Despite their initial reactions they knew that Paige had made Emily happy and they had grown to love Paige. They knew that Emily was going to be mad with them for not telling her about Paige and Amber but they hadn't wanted to tell her over a text message. They believed she deserved more than that.

"Could we get our coffee's to go?" asked Spencer.

Paige nodded before placing the coffees in a coffer holder. She kept her head down trying her best not to make any eye contact with Emily because a small part of her felt ashamed. Ashamed that she had ended up dating Amber when she knew that her heart still lied with Emily. But deep down she knew that shouldn't feel that way because they were over. But for god sakes; she loved Emily and seeing her so hurt broke Paige's heart.

Emily just looked on with pure resentment and anger. All she could think about was that Paige had back-stabbed her. But then again she also knew that in part this was her own fault. She was the one who had let Paige go in the first place. She had set herself up for this. This was, after all, what she had wanted. If Paige was with Amber then she wouldn't have to worry about A hurting Paige. But why did it ha

"Sure. It was nice meeting you Emily." said Amber with a warm smile before pulling Paige into a passionate kiss and walking into the back room.

Emily, who had been starring at the floor, looked up once she had heard her name. _How the hell Amber know her name. _Emily wanted to punch Amber right then and their. Amber seemed perfect on the outside: Beautiful and funny but Emily knew that deep down that Amber was a rotten volatile person. Or at least that is what she wanted her to be. Emily couldn't stand watching the two 'lovebirds'. Just the sight of them made Emily feel like she was going to be sick.

"I've got to go. I'll be in the car guys." Said Emily before walking out of the Brew thinking about what a mess she had made.

The other girls looked at Paige with sad eyes. They disapproved of Emily's actions but they knew that she was trying to keep Paige safe. They knew how much Emily loved her. All they wanted was Emily happy and they knew that without Paige Emily was miserable and no matter how much Emily was trying to be protective of Paige she was hurting herself in the process.

"We're sorry Paige. I didn't think she would be working today." Hanna apologized.

Paige sighed.

"It's okay " Said Paige sadly handing Aria there usual order of drinks.

Spencer paid for the coffee and waited for Amber to go into the beck before getting close to the counter once she was sure that Amber was gone.

"Thanks Paige and for what it's worth we know you didn't cheat on Emily. She does love you." Spencer told her honestly before the girls said their good-byes and walked out the door. They knew that they were going to have one pissed off Emily to deal with once they got to Spencer's car.

Paige was quiet. She wanted more than anything to believe that her and Emily would get back together but things were not looking up for her. She knew that she couldn't hold on to her forever either no matter how much she loved her.

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Well guys there you go. The next chapter will contain Amber and Emily butting heads.

I hope you guys enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 2: Regrets

I am so sorry for such a long wait guys. I've been a little low on inspiration and my life has been a bit crazy lately but I am back.

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**Chapter 2: Regrets**

**Emily**

Thunder and lightning filled the skies of Rosewood. Trees and light posts swayed in the wind battling to stay upright. The streets were quiet but the voices in Emily's head were louder than ever.

After coming home from the Brew she had ignored her mothers greetings and ran up to her bedroom, thrown her belongings on the floor, and crashed onto her bed. Grabbing her pillow she covered her face and let out a muffled scream. She laid there for hours ignoring her phone, that before an hour ago had went off probably fifty times, and her mother who had come up to her room several times in an effort to console her.

Deep down she felt bad for locking herself away and ignoring her mother whom she had not seen for almost two months but she just couldn't face anyone. So now here she was starring at the ceiling and holding her pillow as close as possible taking in the fading scent of Paige's strawberry conditioner.

_This couldn't be happening, _she thought to herself. _Paige had found someone else. Someone better. She had moved on._ Those simple thoughts made the anger rise up inside her.

She knew that she was being selfish. After all she was the one who had gotten herself into this mess. If only she had been stronger. _But she had told her she loved her. Paige had said that she had waited months, years, to be with her and she just threw that all away? _Then again Emily has accused her of cheating and had broken her heart in all of five minutes with a horrible excuse and a lie. She had pushed Paige away and now she would have to deal with the consequences.

"Ugh." Emily groaned out loud in frustration throwing her pillow to the ground and curled up into a ball as for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight tears ran down her cheeks. Everything was so messed up and she didn't know what to do anymore.

She wished she could go back to that moment and take everything that she had said and not said back. Emily wanted to change it all to set everything right but that wasn't how life was. There was no rewind button. The yelling, the tears, the lies they were still going to be there tomorrow, next week, for the rest of their lives and Paige was always going to be the one that got away. For so long, she had let herself believe that soon A would disappear, that eventually she wouldn't have to live in fear that any day Paige could be taken from her, and things would go back to normal. That was foolish of her but she needed some kind of hope.

All she could do now was sit by and watch Paige and _Amber _live happily ever after._ Amber. _She secretly wondered how in the world she had managed to steal Paige away.

Emily had lived in Rosewood her whole life and not once had she seen that girl. She made herself a secret promise to find out as much as she possibly could about the other girl because even if she and Paige were not together she would not allow anyone to hurt Paige even if that did make her hypocritical.

As she began to doze off a bright flash of lighting illuminated the room followed by a loud crack of thunder and scaring her to the point that it made her jolt up, lose her balance, and fall out of her bed knocking the wind out of her. As she lays on the floor and groans in pain she realizes that she had landed on her pillow. Taking in the smell of Paige she closes her eyes and tries to picture herself in Paige's arms once more.

* * *

**Paige**

Paige stood on Amber's porch hand in hand with her girlfriend. They had just finished a movie marathon and despite Amber pleaded for her to stay the night she had chosen to go home. Her excuse had been that tomorrow was the first day of school and she needed her rest knowing quite well that she probably would not have gotten much of it if she had complied to staying.

While that wasn't a complete lie she also knew that it was not the full truth. What had happened earlier in the Brew was still fresh in her mind. When Emily had walked in she had been so surprised and happy. She looked as beautiful as ever and her smile. Paige had almost melted. For a second she had even forgotten the fact that Emily had broken her heart and was no longer hers and it was the best second she had had in a long time.

Yes she liked Amber but that was where it stopped. No matter how much she tried there was a part of her heart that would always belong to Emily and sometimes it angered her. Emily had broken her in so many ways. She had crushed her and then disappeared for two months. Paige was left with endless nights crying herself to sleep and calling Emily over and over.

She had tried so many times to tell herself that this was all a mistake that it wasn't real but here she was standing next to her girlfriend who was not Emily Fields.

"Right Paige?!" asked Amber breaking Paige from her deep thoughts.

Paige shook her head and focused on the girl beside her confused. "Huh?"

"You have been daydreaming for like five minutes. What is so important that you missed my rambling about the fact that zombies should not be allowed to run in movies. It's wrong." asked Amber with a determined face that told Paige she was serious about the issue.

Paige couldn't help but smirk. Though Amber could be very difficult sometimes she really was a nice girl and a part of Paige wished that she could truly love her but she couldn't.

"First off Zombies should totally be able to run in movies, it amps up the suspense." she replied with a smile, "I don't know about you but an entire movie with zombies slowly walking around would bore the hell out of me."

Both girls chuckled and fell into an awkward silence.

Amber finally let out a sigh and her expression grew a bit more serious. "You were thinking about her."

Paige shook her head in denial.

"No of course not. I was thinking about tomorrow and how I can wait to walk down the halls hand in hand with my beautiful lady." said Paige as she put her arm around Amber's waist and pulled her in close planting a soft kiss on the girls lips.

Amber smiled contently and laid her head on Paige's shoulder allowing Paige to hold her tighter.

Paige wished that she could be honest with Amber but she knew that there was no simple way to explain the fact that she still had feelings for Emily. The girl already despised her ex as it was. She didn't want to create any more problems. After all this wasn't Amber's problem and to be quite honest it wasn't hers either. She and Emily were done.

"Paige I really do love you." said Amber as she released herself from Paige's hug. "Just know that I will not let you go without a fight. Especially to the girl who broke your heart." she took Paige's hand in hers "You deserve someone who is not going to hurt you like her."

Paige didn't know how to respond. She just stood there until Amber placed a small kiss on her cheek.

"Goodnight Paige." she whispered before turning around and disappearing back into her house.

As Paige turned to go to her bike a large flash of lighting illuminated the sky followed by the crashing sound of thunder.

Just like clock work it began to pour. "Great" muttered Paige as she rushed to her bike.

There was no way that she would be able to ride her bike in this weather. Yet, for some reason the pouring rain hitting her as she walked along the sidewalk put her mind at ease. She remembered how much Emily hated thunder and lightning. A part of her wished she could hold her. She didn't hate Emily anymore like she had when they had first broken up.

The time that Emily had spent away at summer camp had brought her time to think and to find herself again. She had thrown herself into her swimming and picking up a job at the Brew. Whatever it took for her to get her life back to somewhat normal she did. She had hated Emily so much for leaving and acting like they had had nothing. After everything that they had been through together it was hard for her to believe that Emily did not know her well enough to know that she would never cheat on her.

In the beginning she was so messed up, partying every night and getting so drunk that she could barely remember how she got home some mornings.

Emily's friends had tried to help her get better. They had tried to look after her and get her to stop doing what she was doing but it was useless. To Paige: Aria, Spencer, and Hannah were on Emily's side. Even though she could see them trying she blamed them as well. She knew how much they had hated her in the beginning, especially Spencer. There was no way that they could truly care about anything that she did, so she had thought.

It wasn't until Amber came along that she had been able to get her life back together.

* * *

_Four months earlier..._

_Paige sat outside on the back porch of an unfamiliar house. She could hear the music blaring from inside as she starred up at the stars. Starring down at the drink in her hands for a second she laughed before lifting the cup to the sky._

_"Here's to you Emily" shouted Paige slurring slightly, "I hope you are happy. I only ever tried to show you I love you and you just threw that all away!" she stuttered over her words as she tried to stand up, using one hand for support._

_She was about half way up when she lost her balance and began to fall backwards. As she braced herself to hit the hard cement steps she felt thin arms grabs onto her instead. She looked up to see a slim fare skinned girl with burgundy colored hair above her._

_"The names Amber." the girl introduced herself._

_Before Paige could say anything her body lurched forward and she emptied the contents of her stomach on the lawn, her cup falling out of her hand spilling her drink all over her in the process. Amber cringed slightly and looked away for a second as Paige continued her business._

_When Amber was certain that the taller girl was finished vomiting she walked over and rubbed her back. Paige was too out of it to resist._

_"You know I'm still pretty new around here but I have to say you guys in Rosewood party a little too hard." she stated as she continued to rub Paige's back, "Are you okay?" she asked as Paige groaned and tried to straighten herself out. She held her stomach in pain and used her other hand to support herself on Amber._

_"I don't feel so good." confessed Paige pushing the hair out of her face._

_"I can see that. Maybe we should get you home?" offered Amber even though she was certain that she probably sounded borderline creeper-ish she refused to let Paige out of her sight._

_ The girl had no handle on where she was and it would be impossible, not to mention dangerous, for her to drive herself home. _

_"I just don't get it you know... I mean I love her. Why do girls do that? They tell you they love you, make you fall in love with them, and then they just throw you away. Like you're nothing. That's what she did Amber. She threw me away." exclaimed Paige as she threw her hands in the hair frustrated.  
_

_All Amber could do was nod as the girl went on and on about Emily. She knew she would have a better chance of helping her if she just started out by listening. She was certain that all Paige needed to do was vent. Get everything out of her that she had been holding onto so dearly. _

_As she watched her go on and on she couldn't help but notice how attractive Paige was despite the state she was currently in. Sure she looked like a drunken mess on the outside but Amber could see what was underneath. Paige was trying to hide from everyone just how hurt and heartbroken she was. She wanted to be strong and she wanted to act like she didn't care but she was broken. Shattered._

_"You know what I mean?" slurred Paige snapping Amber out of her thoughts._

_"Uh..." before Amber could even respond the screen door slammed open and three girls entered the yard surrounding Paige. Amber immediately got defensive and stood closer to her. Protecting her._

_The tan one was the first to talk._

_"Paige what the hell?! You are beyond wasted and we need to get you home." she went to reach for Paige's hand but Paige pulled her arm away and stood closer to Amber making her stand her ground; this time standing in front of her._

_ Paige...so that was her name. _

_One of the girls who held a mean expression stepped forward, looked at Paige, and sighed. "Look I'm sorry but we really need to get our friend home. As you can see she is drunk and should not be out here and longer."_

_Amber turned to Paige who was glaring at the mean looking girl._

_"No offense to you all but it doesn't seem like Paige want to go anywhere with you guys so I will be the one to escort her home" The tan girl looked as if she was about to rebuttal but the tiny brunette stopped her. "I promise to get her home safe. My name is Amber Gracie."_

_She held out her hand to Paige who gladly took it and followed her back into the noisy house. They fought their way through the crowd of sweaty bodies and overpowering scent of alcohol, exiting through the front door. She walked her over to her white mustang and helped her into the passenger seat making she was buckled in safely. By the time that she had completed that task Paige was fast asleep._

_Amber let out a small sigh. "What am I going to do with you Paige?"_

* * *

The sound of the warning bell filled the hallways of Rosewood High as Emily stuffed her unneeded notebooks and school supplies into her new locker. _Senior Year._ This was supposed to be the best year of her life and she already wanted to hide away in her bedroom.

"Mrs. Fields please try to be on time to class. It is only your first day." Mr. Fitz;or as Aria wished for them to call him, Ezra, called from the classroom across the hall. She simply nodded and gave him a small smile. _Why couldn't A have gone after him and Aria?_ She knew that it was selfish of her to think like that but she couldn't help it. She was the one who was suffered, even if it was partly from her own doing.

As she closed her locker she looked around grateful that Hannah, Aria, and Spencer were nowhere to found. She had asked them to at least giver her a little space until lunch and they had hastily agreed.

She quickly made her way to her first class. She didn't want to be that pathetic student who was late on the very first day. She hated the stares that people received when they were tardy to class; she felt like she was on a murder trial.

As she rounded the corner she slammed into someone causing her to drop all of her belongings to the ground and sent them sliding across the hallway.

"Shit." she muttered under her breathe.

"I am so sorry. I should have been watching where I was going I was so in a rush." explained a familiar voice that cause Emily to stop gathering her things for a second and look up at the girl in front of her who was scrambling to help her retrieve her things.

_Amber. Kill me now._

As Amber picked up Emily's last notebook they both stood up, Emily never taking her eyes off of the girl in front of her. She was filled with a mixture of jealousy and anger. This was the girl that had stolen Paige away from her. This was the girl who had taken the love of her life away.

"You are Paige's girlfriend." stated Emily practically choking on the words as they left her mouth. It made her sick make the observation.

Amber looked up and smiled knowingly.

"Yes I am. And you are Emily. I've heard so much about you." she replied.

Emily's blood began to boil. She wanted to strangle Amber but she knew she had to be mature about how she handled the situation at hand. Amber was trying to get a rise out of her and Emily refused to give her the satisfaction of getting her to squirm. She had to stand her ground and show Amber that she didn't phase her one bit and most importantly she could not hit her even though she wished otherwise.

"Funny up until yesterday I never knew you existed." Emily shrugged as she put her things in her messenger bag and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Now, now there is no need to get feisty. You really shouldn't be getting defensive when you are the one who kicked Paige to the curb. You are the one who left her like she was nothing while up picked up the pieces. She isn't yours anymore."

Emily pursed her lips in anger. While on one hand she wanted to rip Amber a new one deep down she knew one thing; Amber was right.

"Look I have to get to class but I am only going to tell you one thing. If you hurt her I will hurt you." Emily put on the most serious expression she could muster up.

"Is that a threat I hear?" asked Amber stepping closer to Emily to the point where they were inches from each other, their heights bringing them eye to eye.

Emily did not respond to the girls question she merely gave her a daring look that told the other girl to go ahead and try something. Emily wan't usually one for fighting but she had her limits and she would defend Paige till the end even though Paige was no longer hers to defend. The sound of the second warning bell brought the two out of their staring contest.

Amber just chuckled and began to walk away before turning back to her.

"If I catch you near MY girlfriend you are going to be the one who ends up hurt. You have done enough to Paige don't you think that for once you should let her be happy?" asked Amber before disappearing around the corner.

_Let Paige be happy! Please...Amber could never make her as happy as she could._

Emily shook her head in anger and walked away.

_This was going to be a long year._

* * *

Okay guys this is just a small filler. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting. My next chapter will be up soon and it will be long lol. I already have it half written but I decided to put this small piece up for now so that way you wont have to wait even longer.

Thankyou to everyone who has stuck by me. You have no idea what this means to me.

It's because of you all that I love writing the way I do.

I am happy to share my passion with you all and hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Thankyou :)


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